


Take The Plunge

by Emily_F6



Category: Skip Beat!
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:20:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29446917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emily_F6/pseuds/Emily_F6
Summary: Kyoko accepts a job modeling with Ren, and everything goes horribly wrong from there.
Relationships: Mogami Kyoko/Tsuruga Ren
Comments: 14
Kudos: 44





	1. The Plunge

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I totally stole the idea for this story from that scene in Ouran High School Host Club. I hope you enjoy!

Kyoko tugged on the strap of her bikini, wishing more than anything that she had been allowed to pick her own swimsuit. It wasn't that she wasn't excited about this job. She'd never modeled before, and when Sawara-san had given her the offer from a friend of the director who had shot the Kyurara commercial, she'd thought at first that he'd given her an offer meant for Moko-san. When he'd insisted that yes, this was an offer meant for her, Kyoko, she'd still been unable to believe it. Who, she had wondered, would ever want her to model for them?

R. Mandy, as it turned out.

It was, her supervisor had explained, an attempt for R. Mandy to reach out to younger fans and capitalize on her popularity with Box R fans. Although the show hadn't started with the best ratings, it had slowly been gaining popularity, and Kyoko had been surprised when people, including Moko-san, had been telling her that this was mostly due to her.

"People like a good antagonist," Moko-san had told her with a shrug. Kyoko had immediately felt her eyes tear up as she'd thrown her arms around her best friend's shoulders.

"Moko-san! You watch Box R?"

"Mo! Get off! I have to keep up with what my competition is doing, don't I? If I'm ever going to beat you…" Her friend had trailed off when Kyoko had just smiled at her, and Kyoko had dropped it, heart warmed despite the fact that Moko-san had refused to confirm it. Her best friend cared about her. She watched her show!

Kyoko would be doing one shoot, lasting three days, in Okinawa. With Tsuruga-san. Tsuruga-san...as in Ren Tsuruga. As in her senpai...her senpai that she may or may not have been developing feelings for. Serious, lock breaking, box opening feelings. Which was dangerous. Really dangerous. And even when part of her whispered over and over that Ren Tsuruga wasn't Sho and that he'd never hurt her the way Sho had, she still felt the same fear every time she remembered walking into the room when Sho had been saying those things about her. She remembered kneeling on the floor in her room at the Darumaya, tears that she couldn't stop pouring down her cheeks as she'd cried deeply, from her heart, in a way she hadn't cried since she was a child.

Kyoko never wanted to feel like that again. She didn't think she could survive it.

She closed her eyes, forcing back the flush that threatened to overtake her whole body which, thanks to this bikini, would be very, very visible. To everyone. The changing tents were all private, but she couldn't help feeling too out in the open as the wind kicked up, making the bottom of the little canvas tent she stood in flutter as sand blew around her. Grabbing her sheer white cover up and slipping her arms through the short sleeves, she grabbed her bag that held the clothes she'd arrived in and her sunscreen and headed out into the bright sunlight.

The crew and other models, a couple of whom she recognized from LME or other jobs, were all getting into place, the models talking together in clusters, the photographer setting up equipment. Every part of her wanted to run back into the tent and hide, or maybe get back on the plane that had brought her and Tsuruga-san to Okinawa the day before. Her mind went back to that plane ride, from Tsuruga-san picking her up at the Darumaya that morning to sitting beside him on the airplane, trying her best not to think about the fact that she definitely had feelings for the man sitting so close to her that she'd been able to feel the heat from his body.

She had feelings for Tsuruga-san. She was falling in love with him...had quite possibly already fallen in love with him...and she could never, ever let him find out. Never. Not under any circumstances. And that is what she told herself over and over as she joined said man, along with his manager, as they lounged in chairs under an umbrella, drinks in hand. It took every ounce of self control and professionalism she had to keep moving one foot in front of the other and avoid thinking about the fact that she was wearing a bikini in front of her senpai and a bunch of relative strangers, but she managed it as the two men looked up, soft smiles on both of their faces.

Tsuruga-san's smile seemed almost...strained? For a moment she wondered if he didn't like the outfit, or maybe he was upset with her for showing so much skin, but, she realized after a second, that didn't make sense. The photographer had given her the bikini, and the other female models were all wearing similar swimsuits, some of which were even more revealing. The man in question wore a pair of shorts and an open t-shirt that showed off more skin than it hid, and Kyoko had to force her eyes to meet his, using all of her acting skills to appear unaffected.

"Good morning, Kyoko-chan. Would you like a drink ?" Yashiro-san asked, holding out a bottle of water that she took with a smile as she sat in the chair Tsuruga-san gestured to. It was marginally cooler under the umbrella, but she could already feel sweat forming on her brow as she took a long drink.

"Thank you, Yashiro-san. When did you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago. How was your flight?"

"It was good." She struggled to keep that same neutral smile on her face, reminding herself over and over that any slip up on her part could mean the end of her relationship with Tsuruga-san. Surely if he found out that she had feelings for him, especially after swearing off romantic love forever, he'd be completely disgusted with her. Then he wouldn't want to spend time with her anymore...he'd probably even ask her not to speak to him outside of work.

"Mogami-san?" The concern in Tsuruga-san's voice brought her back to the present, and she blinked in surprise when he leaned forward, his hands clasped tightly in front of him. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, of course!" she cried, pasting that smile back onto her face and reminding herself that this, what they had right now, was better than nothing. And sure, one day she would have to stand by as he finally confessed his love to the high school girl he'd been in love with since Dark Moon, and yes, it would probably break her heart again. But, she told herself as she apologized for getting lost in thought and tried to relax, right now, she could still be around him. They could talk and work together and he still gave her rides and that would have to be enough. "I'm a little nervous," she told him, flushing a little. That, at least, wasn't a lie.

"That's perfectly understandable, Mogami-san," Tsuruga-san assured her, his face softening into a smile. "But you'll be with me for the first couple of shots. I'll guide you through it."

She did everything in her power to make her answering smile appropriate for the relationship they had rather than the relationship that part of her wanted them to have. Shoving that thought to the back of her head, she listened to him give her a few pointers, reminding her that the photographer, Masuda-san was going to be giving her direction, and that he was someone that Tsuruga-san had worked with plenty of times before, and that the atmosphere would be pretty casual. By the time he was done and Masuda-san was calling them onto the set, she was actually a little less nervous.

The first few shots were a blur of doing her absolute best to follow the photographer's directions while also being in very close proximity to her senpai in front of a group of other models, including quite a few women whose beauty rivaled even Moko-san's. Poses including leaning on Tsuruga-san, her palm flat on his chest, his hand on her back, his arms wrapped around her from behind, hands resting on her stomach, and their hands clasped as they leaned away from each other. Every minute or so, she was instructed to change her expression or her posture or some small body part, but, surprisingly, the photographer was smiling the whole time, throwing in shouts of encouragement between instructions, and before she knew it, she was headed back to the sidelines to where Yashiro-san waited with a smile.

"Good job, Kyoko-chan." He held out a bottle of water for her, then handed another to Tsuruga-san who was following closely behind her. "Good job, Ren."

"You did great, Mogami-san," Tsuruga-san assured her before she could even begin to ask him herself, and she flushed a little. "Especially for a first-time model."

"Only because you helped me," Kyoko insisted, taking a drink of her water and trying to keep her heart beating at a steady pace as he turned the full force of his smile upon her. Maybe, part of her whispered, maybe that smile meant something. Had she ever seen him smile that way at someone else?

She dismissed the thought and sat down beside Yashiro-san in the shade. "So, will all of the shots be taken with us in pairs?"

He shook his head, his smile fading back to his normal one as he, too, sat in the shade. She pressed the cold bottle to her cheek while he did so, trying to cool off "No, there will be single shots next. A few of the models have other obligations today, so Masuda-san arranged the schedule as best he could to accommodate everyone. The majority of our work will begin after lunch."

He was right about that, and Kyoko spent much of the morning sitting on the sidelines, occasionally being called to pose with other male and female models. They were all kind to her, and although she thought her grudges were picking up on anger from Tsuruga-san when she posed with Kijima-san, she was too busy doing her best to focus on the photographer and shove down her embarrassment at his hands on her to try and figure out what was wrong with him. When she returned to her seat afterwards, slipping her coverup back over her shoulders and pulling out her sunscreen to reapply it to her face, Tsuruga-san seemed fine, if a little sheepish, while Yashiro-san seemed smug about something.

Like always, she refrained from asking. The two seemed to be genuinely friendly, but there were times when Yashiro-san and Tsuruga-san's dynamic confused her, as though Yashiro-san had some kind of secret he liked to tease his charge about. Then again, she thought as she rubbed sunscreen on her arms, maybe she was misreading things. They never fought, as far as she could tell, and she'd never seen Tsuruga-san genuinely angry with the older man. Honestly, she'd never seen him genuinely angry at anyone other than herself. And Sho, she realized, mind going back to his bright smiles and dark, furious glares over the last few times Sho had forced himself into their lives. Oh, and the beagle from hell. So, she thought, watching two women modeling together, had she ever seen him truly angry with anyone not involving her? Bo? She supposed he'd been angry with Bo when they'd first met. She remembered the dark look he'd given her while in the suit after she'd pointed out that he didn't know a word in his script.

Now that she thought about it, he'd reacted strangely to Bo's suggestion that he wasn't from Japan...that maybe he was from the United States. She'd been too irritated with him at the time to really think about it, but had she been onto something?

"Mogami-san?"

She was pulled from her thoughts when she realized Tsuruga-san was watching her, and she jumped to attention. "I'm sorry...I was lost in thought for a moment. What did you say?"

"I asked if you were ready to get something to eat. They have bentos from craft services."

"Oh...yes!" She was ready, especially because they'd set up a large tent with fans to provide a cooler place to eat, and although the heat seemed to have sucked away her appetite, she was excited about the prospect of more cold water.

The three sat together at lunch, and by the end of their break, Tsuruga-san was watching her worriedly, an expression that made her heart clench a little. "Mogami-san, I'm not exactly in a position to question someone else's eating habits but…"

She blushed. His tone was informal...friendly. Calm. She liked it, but part of her wished he would go back to the scolding senpai voice so that she could use the formality as a front between them. A barrier. "I'm just not very hungry. I ate a lot for breakfast, and it's too hot to eat much anyway."

"Maybe after we're done we can jump in the water to cool off," he suggested with a smile. "And after we change at the hotel, we can get something a bit more substantial for dinner."

Kyoko agreed without thinking, smiling when he did. That sounded great, although she was sure his idea of getting something for dinner was going to be either convenience food or a restaurant that cost way too much money...he didn't seem to understand the concept of middle ground, she thought with a fond smile as she stared down at her bento before catching herself and shaking the thought away. She didn't need to be thinking of him fondly. She didn't need to keep monopolizing his time and letting herself fall into these ridiculous daydreams where she was someone important to him. She remembered her face in that mirror as she'd sat across from the President...remembered the pain of Sho's betrayal and all the pain he'd caused her since.

She couldn't do it again.

Most of the models left shortly after lunch, leaving Kijima-san as the only other male model and two women who had arrived a little after Kyoko and Tsuruga-san. Ikeda-san and Harada-san, the two women, seemed to know each other and Tsuruga-san, who had greeted them kindly and had introduced Kyoko. They also seemed to know Kijima, and would laugh and roll their eyes when he tried flirting. When Masuda-san called Tsuruga-san and Kijima-san to model, the girls approached Kyoko with friendly smiles. Although they were quite different in appearance, with Ikeda-san having short cropped hair like Kyoko and Harada-san having long, almost waist length hair and lighter colored eyes, they seemed like a matching set, and Kyoko was reminded of Natsu and her crew. Well, if Natsu and her crew weren't bullies.

Harada-san was the first of the two to speak, smiling and putting a hand on her hip. "I saw you as Mio on Dark Moon! It's my mom's favorite show. She can't wait to buy the DVDs. You did a great job."

"Oh...thank you," Kyoko smiled, blushing a little.

Ikeda-san adjusted a strap on her one-piece suit and joined in. "You're one of the Love Me girls at Tsuruga-san's agency, right?"

"Yes. We're both with LME. Are you…"

"We're both with a smaller agency," Harada-san told her. "So, what was it like working with Tsuruga-san on Dark Moon? Do you get to work with him often?"

"Um...Tsuruga-san has been very kind to me since I joined LME." Okay, so it was kind of a lie, but no one needed to know that he'd hated her at first. "It was a lot of fun to work with such an experienced cast on my first drama."

Ikeda-san laughed a little. "You sound like you're giving an interview," she joked, not unkindly, and Kyoko laughed with them, trying to loosen up a little.

"You seem to know each other. You probably work with him more than I do with all the modeling he does."

Harada-san shrugged. "We've worked on the same set plenty of times, but he barely talks to anyone other than his manager."

"Yeah...he's never unfriendly. He'll speak with us if we talk to him. But he never starts a conversation," Ikeda-san chimed in.

"And he never flirts with us like Kijima-san."

Kyoko wasn't sure if Harada-san was upset by that or not, but the way she said it, rolling her eyes and smirking at her grinning friend, made her laugh regardless.

"I've never seen him flirt with anyone," Kyoko told them, hoping she wasn't crossing some kind of boundary. "He's very professional." A memory of him holding her on the floor of his apartment, his lips coming closer to her face, appeared with a suddenness that shocked her, followed quickly by the memory of his lips on her cheek on Valentine's Day, and then his head on her lap, his soft smile as he gazed up at her while she woke from a nap, her fingers in his hair.

But that wasn't flirting. Of course it wasn't. What Kijima-san did was flirting. Tsuruga-san was just...just…

"Do you want to take a walk with us? It's so hot out, we thought we'd at least get our feet wet."

Torn from her thoughts, Kyoko glanced at the photographer then shook her head ruefully. "I don't want to wander off...I think I'm next."

The girls both nodded and gave her their matching friendly smiles. "Okay. If you change your mind, you're welcome to join us." Harada-san offered as they walked away.

The rest of the crew didn't seem to pay them any mind, and Kyoko fetched herself another bottle of water and stared out at the ocean instead of watching Tsuruga-san pose. She couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes while he was modeling...or any of the rest of him for that matter. His look was sometimes too close to the Emperor of the Night, and when he turned that look on her, all logical thought seemed to fly from her brain. How could anyone think when he looked at them like that?

Kyoko was staring out at the ocean when she happened to glance at the cliff a few thousand feet from where they were being photographed. The stage had been set up along a stretch of beach that was roped off so that no one would wander onto the set. On one side of the set was a seemingly endless beach, mostly empty, which was a surprise on such a hot day. On the other side were hills that rose into cliffs that overlooked the ocean, waves crashing against the rocks below. Harada-san and Ikeda-san were standing at the top of the cliff, the wind blowing through their hair, and although Kyoko couldn't see their faces from so far away, they seemed...tense. Instead of looking out at the ocean, they were turned and facing something Kyoko couldn't see.

She glanced back at the set, eyes seeking out Tsuruga-san on instinct, but he was deep in conversation with the photographer, and Yashiro-san was nowhere to be seen. Kijima-san was the only other model on set, and he was heading for the changing tent. Turning back to the cliff, Kyoko felt her heart speed up when she saw the two girls back away, stepping closer and closer to the cliff's edge.

Something was wrong.

Her feet were moving before she realized what she was doing, thoughts of her job and her senpai and her insecurities about her outfit flying out of her mind as she ran towards the path that wound around the side of the hill and up to the cliffs, her heart pounding in her chest, feet aching as she ran across the occasional rock. It didn't matter...something was wrong and she had to help! The rocky path was narrow and steep, but thanks to her habit of biking to work and occasionally sprinting away from people she didn't want to talk to, she was able to force herself upwards, racing to the top of the hill.

When she reached the top of the cliff, lungs burning and calves straining, she froze when she saw the three men approaching the girls, both of whom were backing up nervously toward the edge of the cliff, their faces guarded and anxious. From the back of the men, all Kyoko could tell was that they were tall, although not as tall as Tsuruga-san or Kijima-san, and that the one in front had longer hair than the other two.

"Come on, ladies. Why don't you come have a drink with us?" There was something dark in the long haired man's voice as he approached Ikeda-san, his hand outstretched to touch her. She jerked away, eyes icy cold like Moko-san when she was pissed off.

"No thank you. We need to get back to work. Come on," she urged her friend who had gone pale, her face betraying her fear.

"Now hold on!" the second guy cried, holding out an arm to block them. "We just met. You shouldn't be so rude. We're being friendly, offering you a drink." The third guy started to move closer to the two models, and Kyoko couldn't just stand by and watch anymore.

"Hey!" she snapped, grabbing the arm of the man that had been stalking towards the other girls, yanking him back and spinning him to face her. The other two men followed suit, eyes wide in surprise. "They said they need to go back to work. They're not interested in you, so leave them alone."

"Hey look, another one." The second guy grinned, looking her up and down in a way that made her skin crawl, but she forced herself to hold her glare, not letting on that she wanted nothing more than to wrap herself in a towel. "Now there's enough for all of us." The third one, the one she'd grabbed, reached for her, but Kyoko shoved him away, and the two models took that chance to slip around the second man's arm. Kyoko started to follow, more than ready to make a run for it, when the first man grabbed Kyoko by the hair, yanking her back and forcing a cry from her mouth.

"Kyoko-chan!" Ikeda-san cried, but Kyoko shook her head.

"Go!" she ordered urgently, trying to communicate with her eyes. If they could get help, everything would be fine. Tsuruga-san would help. Ikeda-san hesitated, shaking her head, but the second guy started towards them again and Harada-san grabbed her hand, yanking her friend forward, and the two of them took off, the second man in hot pursuit, the models leading him right toward the set. Kyoko's mind slipped back to that night shopping with Cain Heel and she shuddered. These men weren't nearly as scary as her senpai, Tsuruga-san could take them no problem. And Yashiro-san would help too. And Kijima-san. Help was so close that if she glanced to her left, she could see them.

"Kyoko-chan, huh?" The leader asked, eyes narrowed as he yanked her head backwards, forcing her to look up at him as his free hand trailed down her neck, making her shudder. "Who the hell do you think you are, huh?"

She thought about Mio, bringing her to the forefront as she slipped into character. "Get your filthy hands off me, you disgusting pig," she spat, trying to twist away, but the fingers in her hair tightened.

"Did you hear this bitch?" the leader asked with a snort, his fingers running along her collar bone, and she was reminded suddenly of the Beagle. Did Reino know this asshole? She wouldn't put it past him. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

She tried Setsu when his fingers yanked on her hair once more. "My big brother is going to kill you, and I won't stop him this time." It was a lie. Setsu would never let Cain kill anyone...she would never let anything take her brother away from her. But Kyoko was desperate, her hands clenched in fists at her sides as terror froze her.

The man not pulling her hair out laughed. "We were trying to have some fun. But you'll do for now...at least until Takashi brings your friends back."

Kyoko could hear the girls calling for help down below, and she knew that she just had to stall a little longer as the hand moved to the strap of her bikini top under her white cover-up, playing with it but not removing it. Yet. She grabbed his wrist and brought her foot back, kicking the man in the shin as hard as she could...harder than she'd kicked Sho, but she wasn't wearing shoes, so even though it had the desired effect of making him let go, her toes throbbed as she stumbled backwards toward the edge of the cliff.

"Mogami-san!" The voice was one she knew well, and her eyes darted down to the beach where she could see Tsuruga-san, Yashiro-san, and Kijima-san sprinting for the path she'd taken only moments ago. Help was coming. She was okay. Tsuruga-san would save her. He would protect her. He always protected her. She didn't have to be afraid when he was there.

"I think someone needs to teach you some manners," the leader growled, him and his friend stalking towards her, him limping. She felt a surge of satisfaction that at least she'd been able to hurt him, then glanced back at the ocean below. Were there rocks in the water? If she jumped, would she make it? Should she just jump? The long-haired leader reached out, fingers starting to brush against her cheek, and she pulled her arm back, slapping him across the face with everything she had.

Her hand was on fire, and the second the man turned his glare on her, she knew she'd made a mistake. Why had she come alone? Why hadn't she called for help before coming after them?

"Tsuruga-san!" she screamed her senpai's name, starting to take a step back, but she was out of land to walk on.

"You little bitch!" the man snarled, pulling his own arm back.

Kyoko barely registered the fist that made contact with her temple. She barely even felt herself fall, and barely registered the familiar voice screaming her name. When her back hit the water with a painful sting, her mouth opened and she gasped for air on instinct, finding herself with a lungful of water instead. Mind racing but quickly becoming cloudy, she sank, her chest tightening as she tried again to take in air but found only water.

And then it was dark, the painful pressure in her chest fading away as she did.


	2. Rescue

**Thank you so much to everyone that read and reviewed! I hope you enjoy the second chapter :)**

Ren held a hand up to the necklace he'd worn for the last several years of his life, giving the camera the look Masuda-san had requested, and trying not to think about Kyoko..trying not to think about her little pink bikini, or the way her fingers moved over her own skin as she applied sunscreen, or how a bottle of water looked pressed against her flush cheek. He tried not to think about her toes, painted pink to match, as she dug her feet into the sand when she was thinking, or, most dangerously of all, how her small body had felt pressed against his when they'd modeled together that morning, her palm on his chest, her skin soft and warm under his hands.

This shoot had been four hours of pure torture. Sweet, delicious torture.

Even as he posed for the camera, body moving on autopilot to accommodate Masuda-san calling out instructions to him, his mind was moving ahead, trying to figure out where to take her to dinner. They'd jump in the water first, since he knew she was hot and he could stand to cool off too, even with the constant stream of water bottles Yashiro continued to hand them. And then they could go back to the hotel and change. They had rooms right across the hall from one another, and she'd come out of her room, dressed in one of the cute dresses she regularly wore...or maybe slacks. Or the hideous pink love-me jumpsuit. He didn't care. Because she'd be standing there and she'd smile at him, and then they'd walk down the street and find a cafe nearby.

He did his best to keep the dopey smile from his face, but he was sure his happiness was shining through his eyes. They'd have dinner, and maybe dessert too. He knew that she loved ice cream, and he could force himself to suffer through it if it made her happy. Then maybe they'd come back to the beach and walk together, hands not touching but almost, and then he would spontaneously combust because that's what he felt like he was going to do every time he got to spend time with her.

He knew he couldn't keep this up forever. Hell, he didn't know if he could keep it up until the end of this trip. But the alternative was just too scary to even think about. He could lose her. He was very well aware of that. Kyoko might figure out how he felt, or he might confess, and sure, in his wildest dreams she would be happy and blushing and she'd maybe even let him hold her hand, but he knew what the more likely scenario was. She would stare up at him, heartbroken and betrayed. She would call him despicable. A playboy. She would run from him. And then...then what would he do?

Masuda-san came over after a moment, turning the camera around to show him some of the shots before asking for a different pose, which Ren obligingly gave him once the powder on his face had been retouched, mind wandering once more as he forced himself to look at the camera instead of searching the waiting area for Kyoko. The flight had been amazing, just the two of them sitting together, talking. Occasionally laughing. She hadn't been as informal as she'd been with Corn, but she'd been closer than usual. Glacially slow progress was what he lived for, after all. He wondered how his fifteen-year-old self would have reacted if he could go back right then and sit down across from him in his first apartment in Japan and have a talk with him.

"Hey, Kuon, it's Kuon. No, I'm not here to tell you that we're going to be a wildly successful actor...well, I mean, we are but that's beside the point. There's this girl. Remember Kyoko? From that trip when we were little? She thought we were a fairy prince? Anyway, she's going to show up at LME and turn your whole life upside down, and you're going to love her in a way you've never loved anyone before. I've known her for a little over a year now...no we haven't done anything intimate yet. I'm just daydreaming about what it would be like if my hand accidentally brushed hers one day, and then maybe if that happens enough times, we can build up to actually holding hands. Also, try not to be mean to her when she first shows up. Please."

Fifteen-year-old him would be speechless.

Rick would think it was hilarious.

That thought brought a tiny, pained smile to his face that he hurried to wipe away lest Yashiro catch sight of it. His manager was scarily good at interpreting his facial expressions. But it was true. Rick would love Kyoko. Ren could almost hear his old friend's voice.

"You finally fell for a girl, huh Kuon? Well, she'll keep you on your toes, that much is for sure."

"Help!"

The cry jerked Ren out of his thoughts, and he turned from the camera to see the two models who had been talking to Kyoko racing toward them, followed closely by a man who slowed, then stumbled to a halt. Immediately, Ren stepped away from the set, followed by the photographer, as Yashiro and Kijima joined them from the sidelines.

"Are you alright?" Masuda-san demanded, putting his camera down and hurrying over to the girls. Harada-san was bleeding from a cut on her knee, and Ikeda-san wiped tears from her cheeks, glancing back at the man who had been following them. Without thinking, Ren started looking around for Kyoko. Where was she? Had she gone to the bathroom? Kijima was moving toward the man who had been chasing them when he abruptly turned and took off toward the road.

"We were walking," Ikeda-san gasped out as Yashiro grabbed a first aid kit and the director took Harada-san's arm. Kijima turned back toward the girls, giving up his pursuit of the guy before it had started. "It doesn't matter...you have to help her! She saved us!"

Kijima was asking who they were talking about, but Ren already knew. His eyes darted around the immediate area until they landed on the hill where Kyoko was standing, a man holding her by the hair, and then he was running, Yashiro and Kijima only a few steps behind him. He screamed her name, desperate for the men to know that she wasn't alone. That she wasn't unprotected. If they hurt her…

It seemed to take an impossibly long time to reach the path that led to the top of the hill, even with his long legs. It felt as though he were moving through molasses, or like this was one of his nightmares where no matter how fast he ran, he could never get anywhere. Kijima and Yashiro raced after him, while he figured Masuda-san had stayed behind with the other girls.

She's okay, he told himself. She would be fine. He'd get her away from those men and they would finish the shoot and...

"Tsuruga-san!"

The scream seemed to go right through him, piercing his heart and making it harder to breathe. He was so close to the top. She was scared...he'd never heard her call for him like that...had never heard her sound so scared, not even when Reino had been stalking her. But she would be okay, he reminded himself again. He would protect her. He would save her. But the second he reached the top of the hill, his heart stopped. She wasn't there. There were two men, and there was the cliff, and there was the ocean down below, waves crashing against the rocks. But she wasn't there. "Kyoko!" He screamed, the word scraping his throat painfully on the way out as he grabbed the closest man who blanched. "What did you do? What the fuck did you do?"

Another arm came into sight then, shoving Ren away as the person grabbed the man Ren had been contemplating murdering. "Get her!" Yashiro ordered as Kijima grabbed hold of the other men before he could escape, his expression uncharacteristically furious. Cursing himself for stopping, even for a second, Ren raced toward the cliff's edge, yanking the shirt off and diving headfirst into the water. Because that was the only place she could be. Had she fallen? Or jumped? Or...or had they pushed her? For some reason, that last one was the scariest of all, and he took a deep breath of air before he hit the surface of the water, cutting through it like a knife, his hands outstretched and pressed together in front of him.

Opening his eyes and not caring if the water washed out his contacts, he searched the area until he saw her. Sinking. She was sinking. Her arms were outstretched as if waiting for him. Eyes closed. Mouth open. And his heart pounded in his ears as he kicked, propelling himself downward and reaching for her until his arms were wrapped around her tiny shoulders and he was carrying her back to the surface.

Kyoko was limp in his arms as he held her close, making sure to keep her head above water as he swam toward the nearest stretch of land. It was a tiny, rocky beach on the other side of the cliff, but he didn't care. He didn't care about the rocks that cut his feet as he carried her, stumbling, onto the shore or the pebbles that dug into his knees as he dropped onto them, laying her as gently as he could onto the ground. All he cared about was her pale face and her utterly still body. There had been no gasp of air when he'd broken the surface. No coughing. No breathing.

She wasn't breathing.

"No...no no no…Kyoko, no..." The words were fervent whispers as he tilted her head back, hands coming together on her chest, the heel of one hand pressing down as he began to pump, wincing when he felt one of her ribs crack under his hand, his heart pounding so loudly in his ears that he couldn't even hear himself think.

It didn't matter, he remembered the CPR instructor telling him when he'd been a freshman in high school during the class his father had taken him to. They'd spent so much time at the beach, his father had wanted him to know how to help someone if it ever came to it. It didn't matter if you broke someone's rib while you were doing CPR, the woman teaching them had informed the group. Ribs would heal.

He cupped her face in his hands and sealed his lips around hers, then blew two quick breaths before he began pumping again, his own heart threatening to quit as water ran down his cheeks. "Come on. Come on, Kyoko. Don't do this. Please...please…" His voice was hoarse and desperate and he pleaded with her over and over. He didn't dare close his eyes to blink back the tears he knew were falling lest something happened to her while he wasn't looking. Images of Rick threatened to surface but he forced them back, not letting himself think about his best friend lying lifeless in his girlfriend's arms, just like Kyoko lay on the beach.

That was his past. She was his future. He had to save her. He had to! She couldn't be gone. How was he supposed to live in a world without Kyoko?

He was tilting her head back again, about to give two more rescue breaths, when the girl's body stiffened and she coughed, water trickling out of her mouth. Ren hurried to roll her over on her side, his hands resting on her shoulder to hold her there. She coughed, more water pouring onto the sand, and he rubbed her arm as her whole body began to shake.

"There you go. Breathe...breathe, Kyoko," he pleaded with a shaky smile, tears still falling. He was still crying...he didn't care. Kyoko was coughing hard, eyes still shut, face turning red as she gasped for air, hands closing into fists before her eyes fluttered open, staring straight ahead. He felt his face crumple and he dropped his head, squeezing her arm gently as she took one ragged breath, then another. The girl brought a shaking hand up to her head, fingers pressing gently against her temple before she winced. Ren wished he had a shirt to give her, or a towel to wrap around her, but he couldn't bring himself to move so he could try and find either of those things. Instead, he watched her breathe, then moved his fingers to where hers had rested for a moment, wincing when he felt the bump there.

He'd hit her. One of those men had hit her. Punched her. Just the thought made his blood boil, but her tiny hand closed around his wrist and he realized she was crying, tears mingling with the water on her face, her eyes wide and almost blank as they sought him out.

"You're okay," he murmured, slipping an arm underneath her and pulling her to sit up against him, her head resting on his chest, her soaking wet coverup cold against his skin. "I've got you. You're okay." He closed his eyes, wrapping himself around her as though he could protect her from something that had already happened.

If anything, his words seemed to make her cry harder and she turned her face to his chest, her hand coming up to rest on his arm, clinging to him.

"I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough. I'm sorry...I wasn't watching...I'm sorry, Kyoko."

After a long moment, her sobs began to taper off, and she took deep breaths, but the shaking didn't stop, and he remembered that he needed to get her to a doctor. She'd inhaled water, and the possibilities flashed through his mind like a nightmarish slideshow. Infection. Pneumonia. Dry drowning. He took deep breaths of his own, wiping his face with the back of his hand and holding her closer for a moment. She was alive. She was breathing. He'd gotten her in time.

"It wasn't your fault," she whispered to his chest, her face still hidden from him. "I shouldn't...shouldn't have gone alone," the girl choked out. "But...but those men...they were going to hurt them." She took a shuddering breath and clutched his arm even tighter. "I was scared," she admitted, and he dropped his face into her hair, breathing her in. "Thank you for saving me."

"Any time. Always," he murmured, pressing his lips to her hair. He wanted to be angry...angry that those men had dared hurt her and angry that she'd tried to take them on by herself. But all he could feel was the delirious relief that she was okay. That she was breathing. That he hadn't lost the most important person in his life. And he wanted to tell her...he wanted to tell her how much he loved her right there on the beach. But she was shaking, tears still falling down her cheeks as she took shuddering breaths, and she'd already had enough of a shock that day. The last thing she needed was another one.

"Ren!" the cry startled him, and he watched as Kijima stumbled his way down the more treacherous path that ran from the cliff to the beach he'd found himself on. "Is she okay?"

To his own surprise, he found himself grateful for his playboy coworker and occasional drinking buddy as the man tripped, then pulled himself back to his feet without pausing, yanking off his shirt and running over to drop to his knees in front of them. His wide eyes darted from Ren to the girl in his arms before he draped the shirt over her, a hand resting on her shoulder.

"Kyoko-chan? Are you alright?"

She nodded, but the tears and the shaking sort of undermined her insistence as Ren stood with her in his arms. He remembered the last time he'd carried her like this...it felt like so long ago that he'd found her dressed in that shockingly pink outfit, laying on her stomach in the hot sun. He remembered his usual irritation with her fading into concern...even if he hadn't liked her or her motivations for getting into the profession he'd devoted his life to, she had still been a teenage girl. And he'd still felt his heart clench in sympathy when he'd realized she was hurt.

Back then, she'd fought him tooth and nail as he'd carried her onto the set, and he'd sighed, wondering if someone was going to take a photo and sell it to the press. He had been able to see the headlines clearly…"Tsuruga Ren harasses teenage girl on set." Yashiro would love that, he had been sure. Still, he'd held her firmly, not willing to let her fall, and later, he'd done everything he could to make her acting test easy, from trying to talk her out of it completely to acting seriously with her when the actual test came. Then, when she'd passed out on set, he'd asked Yashiro to go with her...and as the ambulance had driven away, part of him had wished that he'd been able to go with her instead. At the time, he'd chosen not to question that particular impulse, focusing instead on his acting.

Now she lay still in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, one hand against his chest just like when they'd been modeling together. She was so quiet that it scared him, shaking and bundled in Kijima's shirt. As he followed the other man up the perilous trail, he prayed that he didn't turn his ankle on one of the many rocks. He wouldn't care all that much at the moment, but he didn't want to risk dropping her. "Stay awake, Kyoko," he murmured, his thumb rubbing over her shoulder. "We're going to get you to a doctor, okay?"

She nodded against his shoulder, eyes fluttering open once more. They were still dazed, and he knew she must still be in shock. "What about the shoot?"

If he hadn't been so scared, the question would have made him laugh. Of course she'd be worried about work, even at a time like this.. "It's fine. We'll just get you looked at by a doctor and we can get back to work." He had no idea if that was true, but he was willing to say whatever it took to get her to a doctor without her fighting him. When he looked down at her, though, he didn't think she looked up to fighting him on much of anything. Her eyes shut once more, her head resting on his arm, and all he wanted to do was get her to an actual medical professional.

Flinching when he stepped on another rock, he finally made it to the top of the path where both Masuda-san and Yashiro were waiting, and his manager's eyes widened when he took in Kyoko's shaking form and Ren's face, which he was sure was tear-streaked. He didn't care. "Is she okay?" his manager asked, voice soft as though he didn't want to disturb her.

"She wasn't breathing. I had to do CPR. We need to call an ambulance." Ren's voice was strange even to his own ears, and Masuda-san stepped forward.

"Already done," he told Ren, gesturing to the street running along the beach where an ambulance waited, two EMTs and a stretcher headed their way. Ren glanced down at the girl in his arms. Her eyes were still closed. Squeezing her in his best attempt at a hug, Ren hurried to meet them, Yashiro only a step behind him.

_**Thanks for reading!** _


	3. Sink or Swim

_**Thank you so much to everyone who has read and reviewed! I appreciate you so much. Reviews make my day! I hope you enjoy the final chapter.** _

_Sink or Swim_

Kyoko's mind raced as she lay in a hospital bed, an oxygen mask over her face as she took deep breaths as instructed by the nurse who had helped her change. One of her hands lay on her stomach which, thankfully, had been covered by a hospital gown. The other hand was being held very firmly in Tsuruga-san's. Her senpai had barely left her side from the moment she'd woken up on the beach, coughing up water and panicking when she couldn't seem to take in a full breath. But he'd been right there, his soft voice assuring her over and over that she was okay. That he had her. And as soon as she'd heard his voice, she'd known that he was right. That she was safe. That he'd protect her.

Tsuruga-san always protected her.

And then she'd started crying. Even as she'd sobbed into the sand, and then his very bare chest, she hadn't been able to believe that she was falling apart like that in front of her senpai. She'd been in trouble, he'd saved her. What was there to cry about?

She knew the answer, of course. Because she remembered hitting the water and she remembered breathing it in. She remembered the taste of salt in her mouth and the pain in her chest, and the way the world had gone dark at the edges. And, for the first time in her life, she remembered thinking she was going to die.

When she'd looked up at Tsuruga-san, she'd realized that he was crying too. She'd seen Tsuruga-san happy and angry. She'd seen him irritated and frustrated, amused and fond. She'd seen him stunned and worried and blank faced. But she'd never seen him cry. And the sight had broken her heart. He'd held her there on that beach, his face in her hair, and he'd cried and apologized for not being fast enough to save her. And she hadn't known how to respond.

In the ambulance, he'd stayed right by her side as the EMTs had worked, keeping a firm hold on her hand but sitting back enough that he wouldn't be in the way. In the hospital, he'd stepped out while they'd changed her into a gown since her bikini and coverup were both soaked and she had gone from too warm to freezing after being dropped into the ocean. Soon after she'd been changed, she'd been taken back for x-rays, and then settled into a room. As soon as he'd been allowed, he'd been right back at her side, his hand finding hers, his eyes following every single person that came into or passed by her room like a guard dog.

Despite the pain in her chest and her lingering embarrassment from her breakdown, not to mention the residual fear from her near-death experience, all she could focus on was Tsuruga-san's hand wrapped around hers and the solemn expression on his face. He'd been quiet since taking a seat at her bedside, but she'd seen the way he'd looked at her when he'd entered the room...the way his eyes had raked over her as if she might have disappeared in his brief absence. He'd washed his face, and his eyes were no longer as red...but he'd been crying. He'd been scared. More scared than she'd ever seen him.

He'd been crying over her.

"Tsuruga-san?" she asked, pulling the mask off of her face and squeezing his hand. He looked up, the serious, brooding look disappearing in an instant as his whole face softened.

"Hm?"

"I'm...I'm sorry. For scaring you."

His jaw clenched for a moment, eyes growing sad, and he shook his head, trying for a smile that didn't quite come through. "It wasn't your fault."

"I didn't mean...I just...I'm sorry you were scared." It wasn't exactly what she wanted to say. What she wanted to say was that she was terrified that she was starting to feel things for him and she was equally terrified that, by confessing those feelings, she would lose him forever. She wanted to say that he was the most important person in her life and she couldn't imagine not being able to see him anymore or talk to him anymore...and she knew that if it wasn't for him, she would never have made it as an actress...that she never would have found herself. Still, despite her inability to say any of that, she tried to go on. "But I'm really glad you were there."

He leaned in as though encouraging her to go on...as though he knew that she wasn't done speaking, and she felt the tension growing...the strange tension that so often existed between them, and she thought that, for the first time, she might recognize it for what it was. But, the frightened, broken part of her whispered, what if she was wrong? What if she lost him forever?

"I...I was so scared," she murmured, dropping her eyes to their joined hands, unable to meet his gaze anymore. "I thought I was going to die." Her voice broke and his hand tightened on hers in silent comfort. "But...but I knew that because you were there...that I'd be okay. Because I...I knew that you would protect me. You always protect me. You...Tsuruga-san...you are very important to me."

It was all she could say, inelegant though it had been. Her lips pressed together, sealing and refusing to open up again. She hadn't said the words hidden so deep in her heart that they scared her, but she'd gotten close. Now, if he was disgusted or upset, she could go on...she could say that he was an important _senpai_ , and that she appreciated how he looked out for her. And then she could find her locks and close the box and seal it all away again. No matter how much it hurt. And if that didn't work, she could avoid him altogether.

Just that thought made her heart give a throb of pain.

The hand holding hers squeezed gently, and his other hand slipped under her chin, lifting her face until she was staring into his eyes once more, her discarded oxygen mask left forgotten beside her. The look on his face made her breath catch. Surely...surely she wasn't wrong. Not about this. His eyes were so soft, lips curled in a gentle smile that she could only describe as 'loving.'

Or longing.

He spent so much time with her despite his busy schedule. He looked out for her. He protected her. He went out of his way to give her rides and advice and help any time she needed them. He got angry when Sho bothered her. He'd threatened Reino when the man had harassed her. He'd cried as he'd held her on that beach, his warm tears dripping into her hair.

He'd nearly kissed her on the floor of his apartment. He _had_ kissed her on Valentine's Day. He'd reassured her when she'd cried about Corn. He'd held her when she'd cried over her mother that night in the park.

He'd told Bo he was in love with a high school girl. A high school girl four years younger than him.

Suddenly, she knew that she couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't live with this uncertainty for another minute. She couldn't keep pretending to miss every sign that pointed towards the thing that scared her and exhilarated her, an improbable as it sometimes felt.

"Is it me?" Kyoo asked, voice catching. Because she didn't think she could stand it if his answer was no. But she had to know.

"What…" he started, but she went on before he could answer.

"You...you told Bo that you were in love with a high school girl. A girl four years younger than you." Her breath caught as a tear fell down her cheek. She had to know. Even if it hurt. Even if she had to go through that same heartbreak all over. Because when he looked at her like that, it all felt like it might be worth it.

"How...how did you…" He looked scared, like a cornered animal, but she couldn't let it go, so she squeezed his hand and pleaded with him with another tear running down her cheek. When was the last time she'd cried this much? And in front of someone?

She knew the answer. It had been with him. The night he'd held her in her arms as she'd sobbed over her mother.

"Tsuruga-san...please. I...I have to know. I have to know if I'm being stupid or...or misreading everything. I can't…" Kyoko took a deep breath, trying to stop the tears as she met his wide eyes with her own pleading ones. "I can't do this anymore. Not without knowing. Is it me?"

He hesitated for a long time, his jaw tight, and she could see the fear in his eyes. But after a moment, he gave her an almost sheepish smile as he nodded. "It's you, Kyoko. It was always you."

She clutched his hand impossibly tight, dropping her face and covering it with her free hand, but he wasn't having any of that as he cupped the side of her face in his palm. "If...if that's not what you want...I understand. I understand if you aren't ready. After...after everything," he stammered, and his nervousness made her heart relax a little more in her chest.

He was nervous too.

"And if you can't...if you never want this, then..then that's okay too. We can be friends. Just like now. It doesn't have to change. Nothing...nothing should change now anyway. I mean...there are so many things I have to do...so many things I have to tell you. And I'm not ready yet. But…but you...Kyoko, you are the person that has my heart. And for so long I've wanted to tell you...but I was so afraid you'd run…"

It wasn't an eloquent confession, and her tears didn't exactly make it better, but when he stammered to a stop, she tugged on his hand to pull herself upright, ignoring the pain in her ribs and pressing her lips to his in a short, sweet kiss. He cupped her cheek, his thumb rubbing gently along her skin, and her hand rested on his arm, and it was the exact first kiss she'd always wanted.

"I'm not going anywhere," she whispered, resting her forehead against his. He closed his eyes, pressing his forehead to hers and draping his arms around her in an almost-hug, his expression one of quiet bliss. "You have my heart too."

Kyoko had no idea how long they stayed that way. It could have been an hour. It could have been thirty seconds. But then the door to her room opened and they both jumped, Kyoko laying back against the pillow when her side gave an angry throb at all the movement and Tsuruga-san taking her hand again, his eyes darting to the doctor who had paused for a moment in the doorway. If he had noticed that he was interrupting a moment between them, the man didn't say anything.

"Mogami-san, you should keep the oxygen mask on for now."

Having completely forgotten about that, she fumbled for it, but Tsuruga-san was faster, placing it gently over her face and pulling the strap around the back of her head once more. There was nothing different about the way he touched her. Just a few hours ago, they'd been touching each other in front of a camera, and even more recently, he'd given her CPR, which she had to assume, included placing his hands on her chest and his mouth on hers. Compared to all that, his fingers tucking a strap around the back of her head and brushing against her hair wasn't exactly intimate. But it felt intimate.

Then again, maybe it was the soft look on his face...the smile she suddenly recognized for what it was.

The doctor glanced between them for a moment, a smile appearing briefly before he glanced back down at the clipboard in his hands. "I'd like to keep you for a couple more hours. You inhaled quite a bit of water, and we'll have you on antibiotics to combat any possible infection. You should be able to go home by this evening."

She reached up, removing the oxygen mask so that she could be understood, eyes wide with alarm. "But I have to get back to work! The shoot…"

Before she could finish speaking, Tsuruga-san sighed and caught her wrist, guiding the oxygen mask back to her face, effectively cutting her off. "We understand. Thank you, Doctor."

The doctor laughed a little under his breath, writing something down on her chart, and then he was gone, leaving Kyoko staring at the man beside her.

"But...Tsuruga-san! We have to finish the shoot!" Speaking with the oxygen mask on wasn't easy, and her voice was muffled, but she didn't care. She was a professional. "I can't make the photographer reschedule everything because of my unprofessional behavior."

His eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "Mogami-san, you didn't exhibit any unprofessional behavior. You tried to help your coworkers who were being harassed, and you were assaulted."

"But…"

"No. No buts." His voice was serious and the hand that had let go to fix her oxygen mask found hers once more as if drawn by a magnet. "You didn't do anything wrong. I mean, I hope in the future that if you or a coworker are in trouble, you'll interrupt whatever work is going on to ask for help, but it isn't your fault that we had to stop the shoot."

She hesitated, glancing at the door. "The photographer isn't upset?"

"He's upset that three of his models were being harassed and that one of them ended up in the hospital. He's not upset with you. We still have two more days on location. That's plenty of time to finish up the shoot. He canceled it for the rest of the day anyway. Everyone is in the waiting room...they're all worried about you."

That made her pause, her eyes widening as she took in what he said. They were worried about her. They'd stopped work to come and sit in the hospital waiting room because they were worried about her. She blinked hard, trying not to think about her childhood with her mother or the Fuwas. Her mother, who had, as far as she could remember, never even held her, and the Fuwas, who had been so busy running their inn that taking care of her when she was ill or injured had been almost impossible.

His hand tightened around hers, and she looked up, blushing a little at the soft, sad smile on his face. "They all care about you. Masuda-san sent the crew home for the night. Kijima called the police and had those men arrested." He hesitated, smiling a little. "He also might have given one of them a black eye."

Her jaw dropped. "Kijima-san punched them?"

"Only one of them," Tsuruga-san assured her with a small smile. "Yashiro took care of the other one."

Kyoko stared at her lap, trying to imagine Yashiro-san hitting someone. To her horror, a tiny giggle escaped and she pressed her hand to her mouth...or she tried to, forgetting about the oxygen mask. When she looked up at Tsuruga-san, he was staring at her with a raised eyebrow. "I'm sorry...it's not funny," she murmured, moving the oxygen mask and then glancing over at the door to make sure that the doctor didn't catch her. "I can't imagine Yashiro-san hitting someone."

Tsuruga-san chuckled. "You'd be surprised." He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, his jaw tightening. "I just wish I'd been able to take care of him."

Kyoko swallowed hard, remembering Cain Heel's reaction to the man who had hurt his sister. "I think it might be better that you didn't."

He snorted without humor, his thumb rubbing over the back of her knuckles. She wanted to ask him so many things. They'd basically confessed to each other...what did that mean? What were they going to do? He'd said that nothing could change yet, and she was glad about that...she wasn't ready for a big change just yet. Not while she was still a nobody actress and he was Japan's number one actor. But she was tired, her eyes growing heavier the longer she lay in the hospital bed. She wasn't sure if it was the medicine or the adrenaline crash, but ever since she'd woken up on that beach, she'd wanted to go back to sleep. Tsuruga-san brushed her hair back when she finally closed them, the contact sending a jolt of electricity through her. "Get some rest," he urged.

"Are you going back to the hotel?" she asked, voice muffled under the oxygen mask that he'd replaced for her once more.

"I'm not going anywhere. Go ahead and get some sleep and I'll take you back to the hotel later."

And as she was drifting off, a tiny smile on her face, she thought she felt him brush his lips against her forehead.

_The End_

**_Thank you for reading!_ **


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